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Would you play D&D if it wasn't D&D

I have a friend who uses nWOD for his Eberron game and recently I have been thinking about running the old Dragonlance adventures with Burning Wheel. So the question is how important is that D&D mechanic?

Thoth-Amon, Lord of the Underworldand the Undead
Once you know what the magician knows, it's not magick. It's a 'tool of Creation'. -Archmagus H.H.
The first step to expanding your reality is to discard the tendency to exclude things from possibility. - Meridjet

For example, class based rules. Fantasy Hero (HERO System) is nothing but a fantasy hack done poorly. You can be do'anything'man and not specialize if you don't want.

Another example would be the monsters. Fantasy Hero deals more with humanoid enemies than true monsters. Sure, there are some, but what's the point. You just hit them till they're unconscious. D&D there is actual death.

To play Devil's Advocate: Many folks would argue that certain editions of dnd isnt dnd.

Thoth-Amon, Lord of the Underworldand the Undead
Once you know what the magician knows, it's not magick. It's a 'tool of Creation'. -Archmagus H.H.
The first step to expanding your reality is to discard the tendency to exclude things from possibility. - Meridjet

That's a bit over-broad. Fantasy literature existed long before D&D, and D&D hardly epitomizes all fantasy. The world of Conan doesn't have Clerics or Wizards; it has evil NPC small-S sorcerers whose powers revolved around summoning Lovecraftian beings and using their power. Tolkien's only "wizards" were five angelic beings limited to mortal forms and, in D&D reckoning, about 5th level. Elric/Stormbringer and The Dying Earth model their respective literary works far better than D&D ever could, precisely because they were trying to. Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, and its universe, are arguably a darker and more cynical take on D&D: some "clerics" become witch-burning fanatics for their god, "magic-users" risk the taint of Chaos with every spell, fighters can't actually take on a horde of goblins single-handedly, and most "adventurers" come from ignoble professions like "rat-catcher" or "valet". There's plenty of viable fantasy games, each written around different assumptions than D&D.

Given how D&D rules themselves have changed dramatically over the years, there might be better, easier mechanics than the official ones. WFRP has percentile stats and a career system that allows characters to buy appropriate Skills and Talents with their XP. I also know one person on these boards who converted D&D over to a variant of PDQ (using 2d10 instead of 2d6).

"On two occasions I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question."
- Charles Babbage (1791 - 1871)

To me, D&D is just a vessel...a ferry to take me to a magical land of excitement and adventure. The de facto rules may not provide the smoothest ride for my tastes (hence why I've since gone walkabout and broadened my horizons a bit) but as long as it gets you to where you're wanting to go and does so in a pleasant way, then I say go with what makes you happy.

*Individual results may vary. The previous statements do not represent the views of Penandpapergames.com, its subsidiaries and shareholders...

For me DnD is just the most common fantasy RPG game that my friends and I know well enough for all to have fun and not worry on rules. Though I will play and try anything for a while. I personnally love the expanded version of Runequest which at a high levle game players can be throwing fireballs that kill everything like in DnD, but to start you have to be careful since the system is more realistic than DnD ever will be, and unlike DnD you never gain more HP for the most part. Though I also love taking games like Scion and running it in a fantasy setting or anything as long as its fun. I do not mind other systems as each has their own pros and cons. My 2 favs no one will play or no one will run.

First fav is Runequest and no one plays it really anymore. My second is 7th Seas, though I suck at running it and no on will run it or play it.

For me DnD is just the most common fantasy RPG game that my friends and I know well enough for all to have fun and not worry on rules. Though I will play and try anything for a while. I personnally love the expanded version of Runequest which at a high levle game players can be throwing fireballs that kill everything like in DnD, but to start you have to be careful since the system is more realistic than DnD ever will be, and unlike DnD you never gain more HP for the most part. Though I also love taking games like Scion and running it in a fantasy setting or anything as long as its fun. I do not mind other systems as each has their own pros and cons. My 2 favs no one will play or no one will run.

First fav is Runequest and no one plays it really anymore. My second is 7th Seas, though I suck at running it and no on will run it or play it.

I have the same troubles with WFRP, gajenx. Most players get turned off on WFRP when they find out their characters cant become "superheros" like in dnd. Then, of course, there are the ones that i talk into playing, and after their first experience, never want to play "cotton candy-bubble gum" (their descriptions) dnd again. They get so hooked on the grittiness, that when talking them into playing dnd again, they demand i make it gritty, unbalanced, and dark. Hey, no problems, for that's the only way i run it.

Thoth-Amon, Lord of the Underworldand the Undead
Once you know what the magician knows, it's not magick. It's a 'tool of Creation'. -Archmagus H.H.
The first step to expanding your reality is to discard the tendency to exclude things from possibility. - Meridjet

I loved WFRP. I think my favorite was the character I had in one game that went on for far to long, since I ended up going from scratch to a maxed out wardancer who then turned and was able to max out priest to level 4. You count the XP there.

But I love the more gritty aspects of it and how disease really matters unlike in DnD. I guess I am just more of a urban fantasy, low/mid magic fantasy system player.

Though I do like high fantasy but sometimes it gets boring. I just love Swashbucklers and sea stuff, so naturally going to love 7th Seas games.

I loved WFRP. I think my favorite was the character I had in one game that went on for far to long, since I ended up going from scratch to a maxed out wardancer who then turned and was able to max out priest to level 4. You count the XP there.

But I love the more gritty aspects of it and how disease really matters unlike in DnD. I guess I am just more of a urban fantasy, low/mid magic fantasy system player.

Though I do like high fantasy but sometimes it gets boring. I just love Swashbucklers and sea stuff, so naturally going to love 7th Seas games.

Glad to meet another WFRP fan. Would you believe i have everything every printed for 1E and 2E WFRP.

I've actually allowed classes to go beyond the 4th(spellcasters), and created very advanced careers. I've even written up some very powerful adventures to go along with them. Honestly, my players were adept, and death was a very real day to day possibility. Great times!

Thoth-Amon, Lord of the Underworldand the Undead
Once you know what the magician knows, it's not magick. It's a 'tool of Creation'. -Archmagus H.H.
The first step to expanding your reality is to discard the tendency to exclude things from possibility. - Meridjet